Professional Documents
Culture Documents
RESISTANCE TRAINING
GUIDELINES AND EXERCISES
The American College of Sports Medicine
(ACSM) recommends that a strength
training program should be performed a
minimum of two non-consecutive days
each week, with one set of 8 to 12
repetitions for healthy adults or 10 to 15
repetitions for older and frail individuals.
Eight to 10 exercises should be performed
that target the major muscle groups.
Examples of typical resistance exercises
that can be performed using free-weights,
machines, or body weight for the major
muscle groups are:
Chest
Back
Shoulders
Biceps
Triceps
Abdomen
Quadriceps
Hamstrings
Free-Weight
Supine Bench Press
Bent-over Barbell Rows
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Barbell/Dumbbell Curls
Dumbbell Kickbacks
Weighted Crunches
Back Squats
Stiff-leg Deadlifts
Machine-Based
Seated Chest Press
Lat Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Cable Curls
Pressdowns
Seated Abs Machine
Leg Extension
Leg Curls
Body Weight
Push-ups
Pull-ups
Arm Circles
Reverse Grip Pull-ups
Dips
Crunches, Prone Planks
Body Weight Lunges
Hip-ups
MUSCULAR STRENGTH
Muscular strength is the ability of a
muscle or muscle group to exert a
maximal external force.
Load: 60-70% 1RM for novice to
intermediate; 80-100% for advanced
Volume: 1-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions for
novice to intermediate; 2-6 sets of 1-8
repetitions for advanced
Rest period: 2-3 min for higher intense
exercises that use heavier loads; 1-2
minutes between the lower intense
exercises with light loads
MUSCULAR POWER
Power is defined as the optimal amount of
work performed in a given time period.
Muscular power is the highest power
output attainable during a particular
movement, and is required in activities of
daily living, sport, and work. For optimal
improvements in muscular power, a light
load of 0 to 60% of 1RM should be used
for 3-6 repetitions over one to three sets
per exercise.
MUSCULAR HYPERTROPHY
Muscular hypertrophy is the enhancement
of muscle size.
Load: 70-85% 1RM for novice to
intermediate; 70-100% for advanced
Volume: 1-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions for
novice to intermediate; 3-6 sets of 1-12
repetitions for advanced
Rest period: 2-3 min for higher intense
exercises that use heavier loads; 1-2
minutes between the lower intense
exercises with light loads
MUSCULAR ENDURANCE
Local muscular endurance is the ability of
a muscle or a muscle group to repeatedly
exert a submaximal resistance.
Load: lower than 70% of 1RM
Volume: 2-4 sets of 10-25 repetitions
Rest period: 30 seconds to 1-minute
between each set
FREQUENCY
For all the above, it is recommended that
novice individuals train the entire body 2-3
days per week. Intermediate individuals
should train 3 days if using a total-body
workouts or 4 days if using an upper/lower
body split routine, training each major
muscle group twice per week. Advanced
lifters can train 4-6 days per week, training
each major muscle group once to twice
per week. At this level, muscle group split
routines of one to three muscle groups
trained per workout are common since
this would allow a higher volume per
muscle group. Elite weightlifters and bodybuilders may benefit from using very high
frequencies such as, two workouts per
day for 4-5 days per week.
OVERTRAINING
To reduce the risk of overtraining, a
dramatic increase in volume should be
avoided. It is recommended that a 2-10%
increase in the load be applied when the
individual can comfortably perform the
current workload for one to two repetitions
over the desired number on two
consecutive training sessions.
ACSM grants permission to reproduce this brochure if it is reproduced in its entirety without alteration. The text may be reproduced in another publication if it is used in its entirety
without alteration and the following statement is added: Reprinted with permission of the American College of Sports Medicine. Copyright 2013 American College of Sports
Medicine. This brochure was created by Michael R. Esco, Ph.D., HFS, CSCS*D, It is a product of ACSMs Consumer Information Committee. Visit ACSM online at www.acsm.org.